Advice on buying a new car (c32)

[John_Doe]

Ok so I went to look at a c32 today and essentially put down a deposit, but I'm now kinda worried about the issues I noticed and what else there could be. It's going cheap because of the issues but he is going to put a new MOT on it and sort out new brakes as they are bad, and sort the bad tyres.

I'm going to pick it up in a week after the MOT is complete and I'm back from holiday. But before that I'd like to get a bit of a better idea how much the issues might be costing me, so any advice or prices people can give would be helpful to say the least.

Ok so when I arrived the obvious things were flat front tyre flat, brakes need replacing, bumper scuffed, bulge in rear tyre. When i got in to start testing electrics the seats wouldn't work. He told me he had disconnected both front seats electrics under the seats to stop it draining the battery so much. As the car isn't being used and has been sitting for some time. Any truth to this? Would it really conserve battery life or is there another reason for disconnecting them. Maybe to reset them for some reason?

Other issues I noticed that will need sorting are
- passenger side mirror does not fold in. He mentioned the gears go and the unit might need replacing but any c class mirror will work it does not have to be a c32
- headlight washer jets did not work. Was low on washer fluid and he filled it up with a kettle but still no joy. I had a Volvo that required alot more fluid before they would work, but if it's not a lack of fluid any other suggestions? I did not notice a noise from the pump when pressing the button.
- front electric seats not working correctly. Everything works except the headrest part. The seats goes back/forth, up/down but the head part will not move on either seat.
- electric sunroof issue. It moves forwards and up fine but when trying to get it to either lower or open it is intermittent. I had to keep tapping the button to get it to lower and open.
- on start up there was a bit of a rough noise from something in engine bay. No idea what. Sounded like abs pump area.

They were the issues I noticed while testing. Rear blind works fine, tv turns on but poor signal, windows fine, boot pop fine, no rust in arches or around the boot. I Didn't test heated seats, rain sensor, Auto headlight sensor, auto dim mirror or even get to take for a test drive due to the tyres ad brakes. But obviously will do next time before buying.

So that my nice long list. I anyone can give any advice on anything I would be really grateful. Or let me know if I should just back out now lol

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Headrest: common fault - motor failure

Seats not moving: convenience features (seats and column move to ease getting in and out) stop working with low voltage.

Mirror: Any C-class can donate a mirror. C32 has auto dimming glass which is £300+ new so take care with it.

Noise near ABS: ticking noise? If so possibly the valve used for start up emission.

 

[andy27168]

Hi,
Sounds like the sunroof just needs normalizing.
Disconnecting of the seats "could" indicate a faulty door control module issue, causing the battery to go flat.
Might be worth checking the heated seats as the heater elements are stitched into the seat covers and can be expensive to replace, though not a reason to not buy the car, could be a bargaining point for you.

 

[trainer]

Hi, my passenger headrest sometimes sticks. A bit of manual assistance when pressing the up / down button frees it off. If not this then see Bobbys answer above. If the door modules are faulty the eprmanet feed to the seats could be disconnected leaving them moveable only when the key is in the ignition. As you have indicated test every button before deciding on buying.